This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

This is the second novel in the Royal Wedding series. Lady Caroline Hawke is visiting Alicia as a wedding guest. She is very miffed that Prince Leopold is impervious to her charm. Leo is the spare and lacks purpose in life. Enjoys a drink and the Ton party lifestyle. When asked to help find some missing girls lured in to the sex trade he agrees to help and goes back to London.

I enjoyed the witty asides and obvious chemistry between the main characters. The author struck on two chords still prevalent today- what to do with the spare heir and the sex trade. Although this is part of a trilogy it can be read as a stand alone novel.

Second in the Royal Wedding Series.
Following on from the events of the first book, Lady Caroline Hawke is in Alucia for the wedding of her best friend Eliza and Crown Prince Sebastian. She is however distracted by the prince’s brother Leopold who seems to be the only man in the world who won’t fall for her charms.
Prince Leo has always been the spare to the heir and therefore never felt he had a purpose. He has spent his time drinking and raking. He is destined to have a political marriage to help resolve the divide in his home country. When he is approached to help find some women who have gone missing, he returns to London.
Much like the first novel I found it took a long time to get into the main story. The first seven chapters are based around the wedding in Alucia, Caroline is annoyed that Prince Leo can’t remember her and spends most of it trying to get his attention. Leo is more absorbed with his own life and finds her annoying. There is some set up to the storyline with missing women. Its only when the story moves to London that the two start to interact more.
I didn’t like Caroline’s character in the first book as she seems very superficial and concerned only with herself. This story starts with her being the same but she does evolve to a likable character. I liked that Leo’s attempts to rescue the missing women caused problems and wasn’t straight forward. Also I like that Hollis pops up in the story frequently which will lead on to book three.

Julia London’s books are not to be missed and this one doesn’t disappoint. It’s the second in the series but could be read alone. I loved the grittiness of Victorian London and yet there was a fairytale feeling to it ! The characters were, as always, well rounded though somehow I couldn’t ‘take’ to Caroline. Perhaps Julia intended it this way? I would not hesitate to recommend this book as a really wonderful read

I loved the first book in this series, the Princess plan, where the the heir apparent of Alucia, Sebastian was irritated and then enchanted by the lovely commoner Eliza. This book tells the story of Sebastian’s wastrel younger brother Prince Leopold and his inconvenient attraction to the direct, vain and beautiful Lady Caroline.

We open in Alucia, where Sebastian and Eliza are about to be married, Lady Caroline is part of the English contingent of guests, and she is happy and proud that Eliza has nabbed a Prince, but also very aware, that she has the beauty and grace to do so too, and she sets her cap at Leopold. Leopold is taken by Caroline’s fair beauty, but not that enamoured of her impudence, and lack of decorum. She happily goes around chatting to everyone, being loudly charming, and smiling altogether too much. He is continually irritated by this behaviour and his strange inability to ignore it, or her.

Leopold on his part, has been relegated to the spare all his life, he has acted up to this ever since he became and adult and spends his time getting drunk and carousing with friends and acquaintances.. He is aware that he is of no use, but he doesn’t know what else to to with himself. While preparations for the wedding are underway he is told he will be betrothed to a Westlorian Lady to cement relations between the adjacent territories and reduce the age old rivalry between the two countries, he is reluctant to wed Lady Eualaie, but he is not sure why, and he increasingly begins to think there is something going on that he doesn’t understand.

When a respected campaigner and man of the people tells him of a secret slave trade in women from Westloria, he has no choice but to try and intervene, despite his reluctance and inexperience. When these actions destroy his reputation and affect his standing with society and his family, they also bring him closer to Caroline, who is on a journey of discovery of her own. When she believes the rumours that circulate about Leo’s poor behaviour with women, she ensures they are printed in Hollis’s paper, which doesn’t help Leopold. However, she is also increasingly drawn to him. When she discovers what Leo is really doing she helps him, knowing that she loves him, but he is promised to Lady Eualalie.

What I loved about this book was that the hero wasn’t super competent or a paragon, but he had a conscience, and once it was woken up, he was prepared to do whatever it took to succeed in a noble cause. This went hand in hand with his increasing fascination for Caroline.

Caroline, was another unlikely MC at the beginning, slightly jealous of her friend, determined to snag a Prince for herself, enjoying the attention her looks gain her, she is also outspoken, makes herself the centre of attention, and a bit judgemental of others. As a result of her friendship with Eliza and her widowed sister Hollis, and developing her dressmaking talents to her friends and acquaintances- Caroline also begins to question her behaviour and demeanour. The heartache she suffers also brings home the realisation of what really makes her happy, so by the time you get to the HEA, you are really rooting for them both.

I loved the scenes with Hollis and Donovan too, and can’t wait for her book, and Beck, Caroline’s brother was also a lovely comic turn, maybe we will get his book too. Fingers crossed.

Highly recommended.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I love Julia London's books and was thrilled to be able to read this

Set in Victorian times
Loved the characters and the story
Well written
Julia London doesn't EVER disappoint !!

Recommended

This book gives an astute insight into Victorian royalty and society, but there is also a fairytale quality about it. Caroline is not a typical romantic protagonist, but she has redeeming qualities that emerge as the story progresses. Prince Leopold's outrageous behaviour hides his innate sense of justice. However, it draws Caroline to him, which is both a blessing and a curse.

The banter between the couple is witty and keeps the story's momentum. The story is a balance of historical issues and fairytale romance. The love scenes are passionate and the ending in keeping with the story's ethos.

I received a copy of this book from Mills and Boon via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Enchanting and engrossing regal romance
5 Stars

I was very much looking forward to this book having read and adored the first in the series, The Princess Plan. This book follows a separate couple than the first book, and while it does stand alone, I think you will enjoy this much better if you read the first book before reading this one.

You will also more likely have a better opinion of Caroline at the beginning of the story if you’ve “met” her before. She is definitely not the usual type of shy, retiring, modest heroine that we find in a historical novel - this one being set in Victorian times. I liked her, and enjoyed her spirit and fire - but I have to admit, from seeing her first through Leopold’s eyes, she could be seen as quite brash, vain and possibly unlikeable.

Equally so, however, Leo isn’t exactly a paragon of virtue at the beginning of our story. He’s not the heir but the spare, and has led a dissolute and drunkenly rakish lifestyle that only a royal prince could probably lead. But he’s tall, handsome, cocky and arrogant so I obviously fell in love with him. As you do. More so as the book progressed and his character grew.

At the beginning, he has no real interest in Caroline - a fact I admit to finding as vexing as Caroline herself did. Caroline noticed him from the first moment she saw him and was slightly infatuated - and expected him to be the same of her. It may sound vain and arrogant on the part of Caroline but, as the book progresses, we begin to understand that while she does enjoy the attention, it’s also a sort of defence mechanism - or a test - as she’s become aware people only ever like her for her looks rather than her personality. Likewise with Leo, there’s a bit of an epiphany with regards to himself and his life. So we have equal growth and depth in our main couple which makes it all the more satisfying as they fall in love - and know that the other is falling in love with their true self.

It definitely was a satisfying love story. I enjoyed watching Leo and Caroline as they moved through a whole gamut of emotions and it was very clever the way Ms London managed to slowly and subtly change all the things that each of them disliked about the other into the things that they loved. It made me sigh. There were a couple of delicious sex scenes - actually maybe just two if I remember correctly - but they weren’t missing from the book as there was a lot of kissing. And when the secret smiles between our pair are as emotive as a full-on sex scene - you know you’re doing something right.

For those that have read the first story, we also get to see Eliza and Sebastian’s wedding which gave me so many feels that I need to go back and read their story again. I might even have done some cheek dabbing with a silk ‘kerchief during those parts!

As with our first book, we get a bit of intrigue to go alongside our romance. This time, it’s not as pivotal to the plot - apart from how the consequences of Leo’s actions with regards to that intrigue affect his relationship with Caroline. The romance is very much central to the book and as such, we don’t really get to see the ending of the intrigue in real time - just a ‘and this is what happened’. I didn’t mind this approach at all but I did think it was worth a mention.

This story really absorbs you into the Victorian era and into the lives of our characters - both the royals and the commoners. I’m no fan, and have no time for, the actual royals - so I’m happy to report that this definitely isn’t a book that rides on the coattails of recent modern royal marriages. So if you’re not a royal fan - don’t let that put you off this book. But equally, I’m sure if you like the royals, you’ll delight in this novel, too.

A few Americanisms are dotted throughout the text which always pull me out of the story (and annoy me greatly) Gotten, off of and sidewalk are those that stuck out in my mind although there were others more in the manner of speaking and sentence structure. I didn’t let them affect my rating, however, as overall the book was entertaining and I still loved getting lost in the story.

I’m hoping to hear that there will be stories for Beck and Hollis (and Donovan) - so we can catch up with these characters and those from The Princess Plan, and also so I can come back to this engaging and engrossing world that Ms London has created for us. A delightfully enchanting romance with a smidgen of intrigue - I highly recommend this story. 5 stars.

Having relished the first book in this series, The Princess Plan, I was very much looking forward to Leo and Caroline's story. It did not disappoint; in fact it exceeded my expectation. I liked Caroline very much for the start. She's a woman with a great deal of self-confidence and self-esteem and I admired that about her. Whilst Leo - and others - might find her brash and her behaviour not that of the retiring females admired in the Victorian era, it was clear that she was a generous-spirited, kind, clever, talented and thoughtful person. I adored her. I also liked Leo, struggling with the issue of finding a sense of purpose in his privileged life. They were both beautifully drawn, very real and multi-layered characters. The way that their relationship developed was also very satisfying, emotional and romantic. Julia London has a wonderful writing style that is warm and funny and most enjoyable. She has created an enchanting story.

A Royal Kiss and Tell is the second book in A Royal Wedding series by Julia London. You don't necessarily have to read the first book before this one, but it will help you appreciate the characters and their backgrounds a little more if you do.

Lady Caroline Hawke is quite the vain character, but in fairness, she deserves to be. She is attractive and many men vie for her attention. The one gentleman that she wants to do that, but who doesn't is Prince Leopold of Alucia. Her best friend married his brother and that is how they know each other. Caroline flirted with him and visa versa at a house party prior to the wedding but whereas she thought it meant something, he was in his cups and totally forgot about her!

It surprises them both when after the wedding during the celebrations Caroline approaches Leo as if they are best friends and she is far too forward. She is upset that he doesn't remember her, and he is gobsmacked that she shows no decorum when it comes to his Princely status.

If he has his way they wouldn't have anything to do with each other especially in public but when he needs her to gain access to high society gatherings they start to spend time together. Time that makes them both realise that there is more to each other than they thought. Time that sees them become very attracted to each other.

Their budding romance was quite slow-moving, and I must admit that I wanted to shake them both or knock their heads together for not communicating properly. I suppose they had reason to keep their feelings to themselves apart from their lust because Leo was to be married to a woman back home by arrangement by their families. He also was earning himself a bad reputation that made Caroline wary.

The story really picked up towards the last third and it was then that I was really gripped and couldn't read quickly enough to see how everything would work out. Thankfully it was a happy ending and it made up for its slow start. Sometimes I didn't like either of the main characters but as their stories progressed and I discovered more about them I am happy to say that by the end I loved them both.

I enjoyed Caroline and Leo's story and am smiling as I remember it now.

3.25 Stars
Every dashing young man in London’s ton is vying for Lady Caroline Hawke’s hand—except one. The handsome, delectable, rogue, Prince Leopold of Alucia can’t quite remember who Caroline is and the insult is not to be tolerated. So Caroline does what any clever, resourceful lady of means would do to make sure a prince remembers her. Someone has been painting Leo as a blackguard. Socially, it could ruin him. More important, it jeopardises his investigation into a contemptible scheme that reaches the highest levels of government in London. Now Leo needs Lady Caroline’s help to regain access to society.
This is the second book in the series & could very easily be read on its own. I’m sitting on the fence with this book, there was much I liked, I loved the humour & it did have me laughing out loud & raised my mood but I found it very hard to like Caroline, she grated on me. I also found the pace of the book was a bit erratic. Overall a well written book which dealt with some darker elements but also had humour, a very loveable hero but a heroine I couldn't relate to
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This isn’t normally a book I would read but there was something about the cover that enticed me, much like our heroine Caroline. Similarly, there is a lot more going on than a pretty cover and although Caroline grated for the first two chapters, I soon began to root for her. I like traditional stories of this genre, this book had real substance and a good plot to accompany the romance.
It was lovely to escape into their world on a summer afternoon and wish for a time of beautiful dresses!

As we all well know, we are living in strange times and as such I am finding myself turning more towards the genres and authors that are more my comfort reads. So when the opportunity rose for me to read the sequel to The Princess Plan (which I really enjoyed), I jumped at the chance.

As I had hoped, the second book is about Caroline, Eliza from The Princess Plan’s best friend. The book opens with the happy nuptials of Eliza and Sebastian. However, we find ourselves following Caroline’s mission to have Sebastians brother, Leopold, notice her after a fleeting meeting in the first book. Being the cad that he is, Leo (as he is nicknamed) does not remember her and this only enrages Caroline even more. Thus the backbone of the book is set, where through the course of the book, Leo slowly but surely begins to realise how special and enrapturing Caroline really is.

This is all done in the background of another mystery that this time Leo finds himself roped into, by being tasked to find a number of Westerian woman who have been sold into slavery in London. Leo doesn’t have much time as he is expected to wrap up his affairs and return home to wed the daughter of a prominent Westerian minister, thus cementing an attempted peace between the two countries.

Although this plot is interesting and I did want to know where these women ended up, unlike in the first book, this wasn’t what captured me. Leo and Caroline were the main attraction, both in their own scenes and together.

Caroline was one of my favourite supporting characters in the first book. So, to see that she was the focus in this one was brilliant. On the surface, she appeared to be the stereotypical Society young woman, focused on the latest fashion. Her, fixation on Leo did appear to tie in with this notion of snagging a royal Prince for herself.

However, as we got to know her, there was much more to Caroline than appeared. Caroline was a much smarter woman, as she understood that when she married, her husband would control her finances and curtail her blossoming career in fashion designing. Caroline has aspirations in opening her own little shop on Saville road and catering to Socialites demands to stand out in the crowds at these high society gatherings.

When her brother, Becks, decides that he has let her get away with her “fanciful” notions, he advertises her dowry to those eligible bachelors. Caroline, rather than have her potential suitors vie for her attention, seems to fob them off. This is partially due to her interest in Leo but also due to the fact that she knows they are only wanting to marry her for her looks and her money. She has seen what these marriages can do to a woman and she doesn’t want this for herself.

If you can’t tell, I really loved Caroline. She had this spirit about her that you just knew that you would want to befriend her because one you earned her friendship, she would do anything for you. Cross her and that is another story altogether.

As for Leo, yes he does start off as your Rakish Cad the genre is known about, but I felt for him because all his life he has been seen as less than his brother by his father and society, due to the fact that he is spare to Sebastians heir. He has had no real purpose or goal in life up till this point and has more than meeting the role as the roguish Prince. With this task set before him, in unrooting this human trafficking ring, we see him beginning to grow and find himself. With his previous reputation, it is a help at first, but becomes a hindrance later on in the book, especially when he helps the women he finds, escape. These measures are about as subtle as brick through a window at times and I could only shake my head in despair.

It is through these rescue attempts that Caroline ruins all chances at a suitable marriage, Leo is summoned back home and they both fall so deeply in love. As is to be expected Love conquers all and you are left with a warm feeling inside.

While in The Princess Plan, I wanted to read more of the mystery solving sleuths of Eliza and Sebastian, with A Royal Kiss and Tell, I wanted to see how Caroline and Sebastian settle into a rural life. Once again, I still want to see who will snag Becks attention for even after two books he is still as much a mystery and I want to see who will tame him into domestic bliss.

A Royal Kiss and Tell really was that bit of escapism I need and I am fast becoming a fan of Julia London. She has once again brought something refreshing to the genre with characters that do no stray to far from the society of the time, but also that little bit of rebellion that must have run through the women of the time.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

As soon as I finished The Princess Plan, I knew I needed to start book 2, so was so happy I was approved for A Royal Kiss and Tell on NetGalley. This time around, we are following Lady Caroline Hawke, who can't believe that of all the people who aren't impressed by her, it's Prince Leopold of Alucia. After some disastrous meetings while in Helanamar, at Eliza and Sebastian's wedding, Caroline is adamant she doesn't want to see Leopold again, but it seems he's made friends with her brother, Beck, and is always hanging around. Leopold, for his part, doesn't seem to know how to think about Caroline. She's brash and speaks her mind, and isn't deferential at all. After the royal wedding, his parents want him to marry soon, and to a Westlorian lady for diplomatic relations, which is not what Leo wants at all. He's also found himself entangled in a plot to find and recover a number of Westlorian women who have been sold into slavery in England, and all of his efforts to help them is leaving him with a reputation that is bound to ruin all his social standing, and hinder his future efforts to bring down the scheme. Will Caroline help him regain his reputation and save the girls, or will he be called back to Alucia before he can finish his task?

Now after adoring The Princess Plan so much, I was expecting the same for this one, but it took me a bit too long to warm to Caroline, so it's a four star read for me. The first 5 chapters or so, Caroline was a bit too annoying, but after an illness, she grew on me, and I found myself understanding her more than I had. Losing her parents so young, and being raised by her brother who wanted her to marry as soon as possible, I saw why she was a bit too much at first, because she'd always known she was beautiful, and hadn't really been parented enough. She also was acting a part, too, as society expected her to be one type of person, and it was easier acting as if she was, rather than changing their minds. The subplot of her creating gowns for other ladies was a nice one, as we saw something she really cared about, and with how Beck acted towards it, we saw their own relationship a bit more clearly.

I loved the character growth in Leopold, as he was quite rakish when we met him in The Princess Plan, but after we see how he was treated in Alucia by his parents, and then his care and compassion to recover the Westlorian women sold into slavery, or worse, in England, he was neigh on perfect. His actions might not have been the most thought out, but his intentions were pure, even if they could bring about his own downfall.

Both Caroline and Leopold together was enjoyable from the get go. Their banter and chemistry was undeniable, and we really saw their affection for one another grow the more time they spent together, and excessively so after Caroline was made aware of the heinous scheme and Leopold's rescue efforts. The ending of the book was fantastic, and really made me desperate for A Princess for Christmas because I need to see more of both these couples, and also need to see Hollis happy and in love!

Caroline, our heroine, I found to be quite unlikeable – it gave me vibes of Scarlett O’Hara at times, but the characterization didn’t came the same, instead she was appeared unlikable, shallow and selfish. For a lady, she also has poor manners and forces herself in conversations something that I find cringey which in turn made it very difficult for me to read as I suffer from vicarious embarrassment. She had her moments of candor and being endearing, but these were far and few in between. Prince Leopold wasn’t any better, as initially all he does complain of the second-son syndrome and is generally useless and has a the most annoying internal monologue. As Caroline’s love interest he didn’t have much going for him I thought rather than a title and being… fit.

Because of it, I really struggled to get into the story and keep my attention on what was happening and I felt no real chemistry between them. The pacing is incredibly slowed down by the amount of descriptions of décor, dresses, and things that I did not care for. I feel like it needed to be a bit faster paced, propel the narrative and hook the reader more.

On the positive, the writing itself is good and the mystery element in this story was the most interesting part and I think it was handled well. There was a lot of banter and witty dialogue which was quite refreshing. I enjoyed all the other characters, especially Beck; as the older brother, their relationship was quite funny as he usually didn't know what to do with her.

A Royal Kiss And Tell is the perfect escape. It's an engaging read with strong characters. Great for sitting in the garden with and losing yourself for a few hours.

Sorry but not for me. The heroine was a pain - in fact downright unpleasant. I could not be interested in her at all - she was shallow, mean, self-interested, self centres, self important. Too many ‘selfs’.

The story was so predictable right down to the barriers, the misunderstandings and the .’mystery’.

I like my historical fiction to be authentic and reflect the reality of the period. I am so fed up of books which actually ignore historical reality to replace it with a 21st century sensibility which did not exist 200 years ago. It’s well written and the author manages to inject some humour into the story. I could never believe that Leo would fall in love with her so the story failed totally for me. 3 stars.


Review Will be added to Goodreads manually since ISBN number is not recognised.

Having read and loved the first book, I was prepared for another bold Lady to give a Prince a piece of her mind, but I honestly didn’t predict how hard the heroine in here would go at it . . .

If etiquette never applied—not that it does now—to Eliza around Prince Sebastian, it is most certainly thrown out of the window when Caroline is around Prince Leopold, or everyone else, really. She is quite the brazen lady who challenges readers to see past her vanity, and to embrace her confidence in a way that intrigues them on a level they probably didn’t think possible. Being this part of the charm of this book, you can see how Leopold can’t stay completely indifferent to this lady even if there’s nothing he would love more than have anything to do with her—do you, Leo? Let the banters begin and a risky sub-plot drag you in, because something you can rest assured these books never run out of is a nice dose of intrigue that is as good as the romance.

With daring characters, a secret investigation, and ravishing kisses at their best, “A Royal Kiss and Tell” is a charming second instalment in a unique historical romance series.

When I saw that I could have the chance to read and be on the blog tour for this book I leapt at the opportunity. I had so loved The Princess Plan and couldn’t wait to read Leopolds story and I wasn’t disappointed, it was as fabulous as I imagined!
Caroline was in part the typical English lady going to balls and engagements but she is also outspoken, clever and determined as well as a dressmaker. I loved Caroline as a character, she doesn’t fit into the traditional box and instead is a heroine to fall in love with and adore! She jumps off the page and even when she did something that annoyed me she then very quickly redeemed herself especially when her reasoning was understood
Leopold was used to people adoring him just because he’s a prince but Caroline isn’t what he expects. She doesn’t always follow etiquette, she doesn’t always treat him with respect and she intrigues him. I struggled to bond with Leo initially but that was mostly because I didn’t understand his character properly and that some of his demeanour is a mask but once I realised I warmed to him and was on his side throughout
This book has unexpected dramatic turns, surprises and challenged me in ways I wasn’t expecting. I did have some issues with geography but that’s only because I know the area and the distances which seemed to be a bit flexible at times! I imagine this is for dramatic input and it didn’t take anything away from the story and I suspect that no one else would notice!
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy books with non traditional characters who fight against what is expected of them and whose determination will make you love them along with enough twists, turns and drama to keep you on your toes

The second in the A Royal Wedding Trilogy. Lady Caroline Hawke, is determined to get Prince Leopold to remember her. Meanwhile Prince Leopold cannot stand the women who seems to have no regard for royal etiquette.
While back home in London, Caroline and Leopold keep getting thrown together, whether through her brother Beck who has become friends with the prince or through various gatherings around town. Their attraction grows but so does Leopold's rakish reputation. Can Caroline trust him?
A great book, I love how it is a love hat relationship and that Caroline is a strong woman that does as she like, even though it may not be socially appropriate.
And that Leopold is trying to do the right thing even though everyone seems to have this preconceived opinion about him that he is just a rake and as a prince he can do whatever he likes.
I cannot wait for the third book and see what Hollis is up to next.
Thanks to Mills & Boon for the advanced reader copy for an honest review.